If you’ve been keeping up with brands, or go on social media at all, you know blogging is popular. Manufacturing firms, auto shops and even this snow plowing company has a blog.
It’s a way to provide valuable content for your customers. Blogging also helps your brand come to life and connect with your readers. Plus, it’s great for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Clients often ask, is blogging really necessary? The answer is yes—if you want to see your business grow.
Organic search traffic is the best kind of traffic for your business. It creates a trusted online presence if your company shows up at the top of the search results page without paying for it. Blogging helps businesses grow by improving their SEO, which we’ll discuss later.
We know blogging is hard, but here are some basic steps to get started.
Step 1: Choose a Topic
Tap into your consumer insights and your empathy. Use research and hard data to find out what your audience really cares about, not just what you think they care about. And expand your research beyond the hot topics in current media.
Step 2: Write
Get it out on paper and don’t think too hard about it. “Write. Keep writing. Push through. Write garbage.” Creativity isn’t always matched with perfection––that’s what editing is for.
Embrace brevity by saying more in fewer words to keep your reader engaged. Writing is a process, so be patient with it!
Step 3: Revise, Edit, Proof
This step is crucial. If your content has errors or doesn’t read well, how can anyone trust your expertise? Set up a process with your team to edit, proofread, and publish.
Step 4: SEO
Business blogging is SEO’s secret weapon. By focusing on critical keywords in your blog, your website will have a higher search result ranking for that keyword. For example, a paint company that wants to show up at the top of Google search results for oil-based paints should write a blog about this topic. Try to rank for more specific keywords that are highly relevant to your business rather than competitive, more generic words.
Step 5: Promote your post
Get the word out about your blog and share it on social media to increase engagement. Find out when your audience is online so you can optimize posting time. Lastly, always include an eye-catching image in the post and don’t be afraid to promote the blog multiple times.
Here are some blog writing tips, provided by HubSpot:
- Keep it friendly with contractions
- Use simple language and the active voice
- Be clear and concise
- Use short sentences and paragraphs
- Cut out fluffy or unnecessary words
- Adhere to your brand’s voice and tone
- Make sure you understand your reader’s persona and write directly to them
Content is constantly competing for attention in this information-heavy era. The most important thing you can do as a blogger is to reward your reader’s attention. Choose an interesting topic and spend time making it fun to read. Give them a special surprise, like this.
If you don’t enjoy blogging or feel overwhelmed by the process, that’s okay. Outmark does it and we love it. Let’s work together and make your blog awesome so you can focus on running your business.
Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst
